Archive By Section - News

Barton Community College's Board of Trustees hired two employees for the athletics department on Thursday. Trevor Rolfs, who will take over at the new Athletic Director on July 1, and Patrick Hall, hired as the new women's volleyball coach, are both leaving positions at Pratt Community College to come to Barton.

City leaders are not supposed to use their position with the city for personal gain. Anyone who attended a Constitution or civics class in high school should have already been exposed to that issue, or one similar to it, and this week the Great Bend City Council made its stand on this and other ethical issues official as it adopted the city's new ethics policy.

Bonnie the black bear paced around her outdoor exhibit area Wednesday at Great Bend's Brit-Spaugh Zoo, seeming to miss her mate, Clyde. The male bear was inside the cages with zoo staff, out of sight as it received a routine physical exam.

A former Ellinwood High School teacher, now living in Topeka, has been charged in Barton County District Court with two felony counts of electronic sexual solicitation of a minor between the age of 14 and 16 years.

County Commissioner Homer Kruckenberg turned to American poet Carl Sandburg to argue in favor of accepting a low bid on a county project when the Barton County Commission met Monday, but Sandburg did not carry the day.

Articles by Section - News

The house at 207 Plum St. was heavily damaged by fire early Friday, for the second time in two years. After investigation by the Great Bend Fire Department and the Kansas Fire Marshal's Office, police were asked to take an arson case.

First grade students at Eisenhower Elementary School ended the day Friday in a special assembly courtesy of Barton County Extension Agents Bernie Unruh and Donna Krug. Forty-five boys and girls crowded into the classroom where they met "Miguel," the Organ Wise Kid, and several organs in his body, including his heart, brain, lungs, intestines and many more.

The 21st annual Great Bend Jazz Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Crest Theater, featuring jazz vocalist Les Lankhorst from Salina. He will perform with the Prairie Winds Jazz Combo made up of area musicians.

The public and Great Bend City Council had a chance to meet and talk with the final candidate for the position of Great Bend Chief of Police Thursday evening. An informal come and go reception was held at the city offices.

Each week we'll take a step back into the history of Great Bend through the eyes of reporters past. We'll reacquaint you with what went into creating the Great Bend of today, and do our best to update you on what "the rest of the story" turned out to be.